KRCC using housing as part of mental health initiative

HAZARD — Officials with Kentucky River Community Care are moving forward with plans to increase affordable housing options for adults with serious mental illness.

The organization held a ground breaking Monday at a site on Upper Second Creek in Perry County where three new apartments will be built as part of a special needs project. Funding for the apartments, which will range from one- to three-bedroom living spaces, comes from the HOME program through the Kentucky Housing Corporation, said Nici Gaines, KRCC executive director.

KRCC is actively working on the issue of housing in the region, Gaines added, and has added more than 200 units of affordable housing in the past few years. She said presenting more low-cost housing options for residents in the service area is part of the mission of KRCC, a non-profit organization that provides mental health, substance abuse, and trauma services.

“Housing fits with our mission because it is essential to good services,” Gaines said. “Good mental health doesn’t happen in an office. You have to have all your needs met.”

The new apartments on Upper Second Creek should be complete in about six months.